Pasolini and India:De- and Re-Construction of a Myth

Pasolini’s first visit to a Third World country dates to 1960–61. His impressions and experiences during this journey are told in the collection of articles L’odore dell’India, which, in my opinion, also reveals his (perhaps characteristic) tension between being up-to-date and being out of time. This essay can thus be understood as a small journey through the author’s travels in and relations with India

Improving Requirements Engineering within the European Space Industry

International audienceThe Next Generation Requirements Engineering (NextGenRE) (ESA/ESTEC Contract 4000101353/10/NL/SFe) project seeks to identify possibilities to improve the requirements engineering process within the European Space industry in connection with Model-based System Engineering (MBSE)

Architecture-driven, Multi-concern and Seamless Assurance and Certification of Cyber-Physical Systems.

Unlike practices in electrical and mechanical equipment engineering, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) do not have a set of standardized and harmonized practices for assurance and certification that ensures safe, secure and reliable operation with typical software and hardware architectures. This paper presents a recent initiative called AMASS (Architecture-driven, Multi-concern and Seamless Assurance and Certification of Cyber-Physical Systems) to promote harmonization, reuse and automation of labour-intensive certification-oriented activities via using model-based approaches and incremental techniques. AMASS will develop an integrated and holistic approach, a supporting tool ecosystem and a self-sustainable community for assurance and certification of CPS. The approach will be driven by architectural decisions (fully compatible with standards, e.g. AUTOSAR and IMA), including multiple assurance concerns such as safety, security and reliability. AMASS will support seamless interoperability between assurance/certification and engineering activities along with third-party activities (external assessments, supplier assurance). The ultimate aim is to lower certification costs in face of rapidly changing product features and market needs.This project has received funding from the Electronic Component Systems for European Leadership Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 692474. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Spain, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Italy, United Kingdom, Franc

Origin and age of carbonate clasts from the Lusi eruption, Java, Indonesia

Deep stratigraphic constrains below the Indonesian Lusi mud eruption are currently lacking due to the absence of deep wells and good quality seismic data. A collection of carbonate clasts has been sampled from the Lusi site, active since its birth in 2006. These specimens are part of a large variety of lithotypes erupted from the main crater. The carbonates analysed comprise scleractinian coral and bivalve shell fragments, probably shallow-water in origin, and clasts consisting of planktonic foraminifera- bearing mudstone, from pelagic deposits. Selected rocks were analysed using planktonic foraminifera and 87Sr/86Sr dating with the aim to constrain their age and to improve the understanding of the, so far unknown, sequence of limestone deposits inferred at this site. Based on biostratigraphy using planktonic foraminifera, one group of samples reveal to belong to the Planktonic Foraminifera Zone M5b, with an age comprised between 16.29 and 15.10 Ma (Miocene, Latest Burdighalian to Langhian). The Sr isotope-based ages of clasts analysed for 87Sr/86Sr cover a larger time window spanning from Pliocene (Zanclean and Piacenzian), Miocene (Messinian) down to Eocene (Priabonian). The Pliocene and Messinian ages are unreasonably young from what is known of the local geology and one sample provided an 87Sr/86Sr age that is ∼8 My younger compared to that obtained from the planktonic foraminifera assemblage occurring in that sample. The discrepancy suggests that this and the other unduly young samples have possibly been contaminated by geological materials with radiogenic Sr isotope composition. The minimum age of 37.18 Ma obtained by 87Sr/86Sr from a well-preserved oyster shell indicates that some of the clasts can be attributed to the deep seated Ngimbang Formation. The dating has been combined with the interpretation of seismic profiles to investigate the stratigraphy of inferred carbonates below Lusi and the PRG-1 well located some kilometres to the north east. PRG-1 borehole data are also integrated and discussed in this study. The obtained results reveal multiple implications: a) the Tuban and Kujung Formations are overlapping at Lusi site; b) the Lusi feeder conduit brecciated and mobilized to the surface carbonate lithologies buried as deep as possibly ∼3.8 km as well as even older and deeper seated lithotypes from the Ngimbang Formation; c) since the deeper carbonate samples erupted in 2006 belong to the typically not overpressured Kujung Formation, an additional overpressure generated from deeper units (Ngimbang Formation) would be required to force these fragments to surface

Languages for safety-certification related propertis

The Safety Certification of Software-Intensive Systems with Reusable Components project, in short SafeCer (www.safecer.eu),is targeting increased efficiency and reduced time-to-market by composable safety certification of safety- relevant embedded systems. The industrial domains targeted are within automotive and construction equipment, avionics, and rail. Some of the companies involved are: Volvo Tech- nology, Thales, TTTech, and Intecs among others. SafeCer includes more than 30 partners in six different countries and has a budget of e25.7 millions. A primary objective is to provide support for system safety arguments based on arguments and properties of system components as well as to provide support for generation of corresponding evidence in a similar compositional way. By providing support for efficient reuse of certification and stronger links between certification and development, compo- nent reuse will be facilitated, and by providing support for reuse across domains the amount of components available for reuse will increase dramatically. The resulting efficiency and reduced time to market will, together with increased quality and reduced risk, increase competitiveness and pave the way for a cross-domain market for software components qualified for certification

Healthcare Service Quality Evaluation in a Community-Oriented Primary Care Center, Italy

Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an inclusive healthcare approach that combines individual care with a population-based outlook, striving to offer effective and equitable services. This study concentrates on assessing the perceived quality of a "Casa della Comunita" (CdC) implemented by the Romagna Local Health Authority, which embraces the COPC model. Through the examination of user experiences, the study aims to comprehend the influence of the CdC's care delivery model on the community's perception of service quality. From 13-18 March 2023, paper questionnaires were distributed by trained healthcare professionals and volunteers. The cross-sectional study enrolled participants aged 18 or older, capable of understanding written Italian, and willing to take part voluntarily. A total of 741 questionnaires were collected, resulting in an overall acceptance rate of 85.6%. Among the respondents, 37.9% were female, with an average age of 55.4 & PLUSMN; 16.2 years. While the respondents generally held a positive view of the quality, the results displayed varying levels of satisfaction across the different areas. Multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between factors such as gender, employment status, financial resources, education level, and distance from the healthcare center with the perceived quality of the facility in terms of accessibility, environment, staff, continuity of care, and overall satisfaction. The study yielded valuable insights, identifying strengths and areas for improvement and underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring studies to enhance patient satisfaction continuously

Non-neural phenotype of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: Results from a large cohort of Italian patients

Objective: To carry out a deep characterisation of the main androgen-responsive tissues involved in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Methods: 73 consecutive Italian patients underwent a full clinical protocol including biochemical and hormonal analyses, genitourinary examination, bone metabolism and densitometry, cardiological evaluation and muscle pathology. Results: Creatine kinase levels were slightly to markedly elevated in almost all cases (68 of the 73; 94%). 30 (41%) patients had fasting glucose above the reference limit, and many patients had total cholesterol (40; 54.7%), low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (29; 39.7%) and triglyceride (35; 48%) levels above the recommended values. Although testosterone, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone values were generally normal, in one-third of cases we calculated an increased Androgen Sensitivity Index reflecting the presence of androgen resistance in these patients. According to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), 7/70 (10%) patients reported severe lower urinal tract symptoms (IPSS score >19), and 21/73 (30%) patients were moderately symptomatic (IPSS score from 8 to 19). In addition, 3 patients were carriers of an indwelling bladder catheter. Videourodynamic evaluation indicated that 4 of the 7 patients reporting severe urinary symptoms had an overt prostate-unrelated bladder outlet obstruction. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data were consistent with low bone mass in 25/61 (41%) patients. Low bone mass was more frequent at the femoral than at the lumbar level. Skeletal muscle biopsy was carried out in 20 patients and myogenic changes in addition to the neurogenic atrophy were mostly observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of a wide non-neural clinical phenotype in SBMA, suggesting the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary protocols for these patients. \ua9 2016 Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Cryo-EM structure of ex vivo fibrils associated with extreme AA amyloidosis prevalence in a cat shelter

AA amyloidosis is a systemic disease characterized by deposition of misfolded serum amyloid A protein (SAA) into cross-β amyloid in multiple organs in humans and animals. AA amyloidosis occurs at high SAA serum levels during chronic inflammation. Prion-like transmission was reported as possible cause of extreme AA amyloidosis prevalence in captive animals, e.g. 70% in cheetah and 57–73% in domestic short hair (DSH) cats kept in zoos and shelters, respectively. Herein, we present the 3.3 Å cryo-EM structure of AA amyloid extracted post-mortem from the kidney of a DSH cat with renal failure, deceased in a shelter with extreme disease prevalence. The structure reveals a cross-β architecture assembled from two 76-residue long proto-filaments. Despite >70% sequence homology to mouse and human SAA, the cat SAA variant adopts a distinct amyloid fold. Inclusion of an eight-residue insert unique to feline SAA contributes to increased amyloid stability. The presented feline AA amyloid structure is fully compatible with the 99% identical amino acid sequence of amyloid fragments of captive cheetah

Cryo-EM structure of ex vivo fibrils associated with extreme AA amyloidosis prevalence in a cat shelter.

AA amyloidosis is a systemic disease characterized by deposition of misfolded serum amyloid A protein (SAA) into cross-β amyloid in multiple organs in humans and animals. AA amyloidosis occurs at high SAA serum levels during chronic inflammation. Prion-like transmission was reported as possible cause of extreme AA amyloidosis prevalence in captive animals, e.g. 70% in cheetah and 57-73% in domestic short hair (DSH) cats kept in zoos and shelters, respectively. Herein, we present the 3.3 Å cryo-EM structure of AA amyloid extracted post-mortem from the kidney of a DSH cat with renal failure, deceased in a shelter with extreme disease prevalence. The structure reveals a cross-β architecture assembled from two 76-residue long proto-filaments. Despite >70% sequence homology to mouse and human SAA, the cat SAA variant adopts a distinct amyloid fold. Inclusion of an eight-residue insert unique to feline SAA contributes to increased amyloid stability. The presented feline AA amyloid structure is fully compatible with the 99% identical amino acid sequence of amyloid fragments of captive cheetah